Inside Asian Gaming

IAG NOV 2021年11月 亞博匯 102 26-50 DIRECTOR AND SENIOR ADVISOR Dynam Japan 董事及高級公司顧問 CLAIMS TO FAME 名成事跡 POWER SCORE 權能指數: 732 POSITION LAST YEAR 去年排名: 27 Largest individual shareholder of Japan’s second largest pachinko operator • • 日本第二大彈珠機運營商的最大個人股東 36 YOJI SATO EVEN IN DECLINE Japan’s pachinko industry continues to generate huge volumes, yet it has felt the pain of the COVID-19 pandemic as much as anyone. This was highlighted by the country’s second largest pachinko hall operator, Dynam Japan, which suffered an 81.5% decline in net profit attributable to owners of the company to JPY2.36 billion (US$21.6 million) for the year ended 31 March 2021 – impacted by temporary closures and reduced patronage as a result of the pandemic. Dynam operates 442 pachinko halls in 46 prefectures in Japan – down from 448 halls a year earlier – via a mix of what it calls high playing-cost halls and low playing-cost halls. The group has been developing a new strategy in recent times to counter changes to Japan’s pachinko payout rules, implementing standardized hall types and opening or acquiring halls in less populated regional areas. But the reduction in halls is clearly becoming a trend at least partly outside of Dynam’s control. That will be of considerable concern to Yoji Sato, the man widely said to be Dynam’s key decision maker and holding a personal 34% stake in the company his father founded in 1967. According to a Forbes 2020 Rich List, Sato’s personal fortune exceeds US$800 million – suggesting his influence in Japan’s unique gaming scene remains as strong as ever. 佐藤洋治 儘管衰落 但日本的彈珠機產業仍然產生著巨大的收入，但是也和其他行業 一樣，收到了新冠疫情的衝擊。 日本第二大彈珠機運營商Dynam Japan深刻感受到了這一點。在截至 2021年3月31日的財年裡，受疫情導致的臨時關閉及用戶減少的影響，公 司所有者的應佔淨利潤減少了81.5%至23.6億日元（2160萬美元）。 Dynam在日本46個縣經營著442間彈珠機遊戲廳——低於一年前的 448間，經營方式包括高成本彈珠機館及低成本彈珠機館。該集團最近在 製定一項新戰略，以應對日本彈珠機賠付規則的變化，實施標準化的遊戲 廳模式，並在人口較少的地區開設或收購大的彈珠機館。但是彈珠機館的 縮減正在成為一種趨勢，至少部分超出了Dynam的控制範圍。 這將引起佐藤洋治相當大的顧慮。他被認為是Dynam的關鍵決策者， 持有由其父於 1967年創立公司的34%的個人股份。 根據福布斯2020富豪榜排名，佐藤的個人財富超過8億美元——這表 明他在日本彈珠機博彩這一領域的影響力一如既往。